The sleep over

Chapter four

Unspoken tension

The next morning, the storm had passed, leaving the world outside the cabin soaked and misty. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and pine, and the birds had started singing again, as if trying to erase the memory of the night before. Emma had barely slept, her mind racing with the sounds and fears that had haunted her in the dark. She could still feel the cold sweat on her skin, and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion.She forced herself out of bed and dressed quickly, not wanting to be alone any longer than necessary. As she stepped into the hallway, the cabin seemed eerily quiet. The sense of unease from the night before lingered, wrapping around her like a fog.In the kitchen, she found Mia and Lily already awake, nursing cups of coffee. They looked up as Emma entered, their expressions tight.“Morning,” Mia said, her voice unusually subdued.“Morning,” Emma replied, reaching for a mug and pouring herself some coffee. She noticed the way Mia and Lily exchanged glances, and her unease deepened.“Did anyone else hear anything last night?” Emma asked, trying to sound casual but failing to hide the tension in her voice.Lily looked away, while Mia hesitated before answering. “I thought I heard something... like footsteps in the hallway. But I figured it was just one of you.”Emma’s stomach tightened. “I heard it too. It wasn’t just the storm. Someone was outside my door.”Lily’s eyes widened, and she set her mug down with a thud. “Are you sure? Maybe it was just the wind. This place is old, you know how it creaks.”Emma shook her head. “It wasn’t the wind, Lily. The door handle moved. Someone tried to open it.”Mia paled. “Maybe it was Jake or Tom. Maybe they got up in the middle of the night and... I don’t know, maybe they were confused.”“Maybe,” Emma said, though she didn’t believe it. The footsteps had been too deliberate, too slow, as if whoever—or whatever—was outside her door had been taking their time, testing her fear.The kitchen door swung open, and Jake walked in, followed by Tom. Both men looked bleary-eyed, as if they hadn’t slept much either. They exchanged brief greetings before reaching for the coffee pot.“Rough night?” Jake asked, noting the tension in the room.“You could say that,” Lily muttered, casting a sideways glance at Emma and Mia.Tom frowned. “What’s going on?”Emma hesitated, then told them about the noises she had heard during the night, about the footsteps and the door handle. As she spoke, she watched their faces closely, looking for any sign of guilt or recognition. But Jake and Tom both looked genuinely surprised, their frowns deepening with concern.“I didn’t hear anything,” Tom said slowly, “but I slept like a rock after all the driving yesterday. Are you sure it wasn’t just the storm?”Jake nodded in agreement. “This place is pretty creepy when it’s dark. It could have been anything, Emma.”But Emma could see the doubt in their eyes. They all knew this cabin too well, knew how it could play tricks on your mind, especially with the memories they all carried. But this was different. This was real.“I know what I heard,” Emma insisted. “Someone was out there.”“Maybe it was Sarah,” Mia suggested quietly. “She’s the only one not here.”Emma frowned, the idea unsettling her. “Why would Sarah be wandering around in the middle of the night, trying to get into my room?”Before anyone could respond, the door to the back porch creaked open, and Sarah stepped inside. She was already dressed, her hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, and she looked more composed than any of them felt. She smiled at the group, but there was something off about it, something that made Emma’s skin crawl.“Morning, everyone,” Sarah said cheerfully. “How did you all sleep?”The group exchanged wary glances, but no one answered right away. Finally, Tom spoke up, trying to sound casual. “We were just talking about that. It seems like some of us had a bit of a rough night.”Sarah’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes flicked to Emma, then back to Tom. “Really? I slept fine. Didn’t hear a thing.”Emma’s heart sank. If Sarah was lying, she was doing a damn good job of it. But why would she lie? And if it wasn’t her, then who—or what—had been outside Emma’s door?The silence stretched, and the tension in the room grew thicker, more palpable. Emma could feel the unease radiating from everyone, the unspoken fear that they were not alone in this cabin, that something from their past was lurking in the shadows, waiting to reveal itself.But no one voiced those fears. Instead, they went through the motions of making breakfast, of pretending everything was fine. Yet Emma knew, deep down, that nothing was fine. The cabin was a ticking time bomb, and it was only a matter of time before the truth came exploding out.